Reconfigurable circuits are circuit devices that may be reconfigured through programming to realize a variety of different functions, so long as the complexities of the desired functions are not too high. An example of the reconfigurable circuits is the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) circuit. Typically, 20 to 50 transistors of a reconfigurable circuit are required to implement each transistor of a target function. As a result, reconfigurable circuits tend to be the largest circuits for each generation of integrated circuit technology. In turn, because of the inherent large size, manufacturing yield and pre-mature partial operational failure have been persistent problems for the reconfigurable circuit manufacturers and users.
Nonetheless, reconfigurable circuits are popular because they introduce low Non Recurring Expenses (NRE) when compared to Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). Further, reconfigurable circuits enable ASIC, up to a certain degree of complexity, to be emulated to ensure correctness, before the ASIC are rendered into actual silicon. A process that significantly reduces the cost of ASIC development.
Currently, one technique for addressing the various yield problems is to bypass defective elements through laser trimming during the fabrication process. After the circuits are tested, a laser is used to cut some connections in such a way that defective elements are bypassed. Pre-mature partial failures are mainly addressed through a burn-in process, which is a technique for artificially aging the component to eliminate those that experience early failures. Both of these techniques incur a significant cost during the fabrication process and give no guarantee regarding the possibility of failures at any time during the lifetime of the component.